It's hard to pinpoint exactly why I'm so frankly watching Mara Jade as she moves unhurriedly toward me.
Is it because of her beauty? There's no doubt that fact is noticeable. The girl truly possesses outstanding physical form and knows how to present herself so it doesn't seem vulgar, crude, or cheap. In her years serving Palpatine, she learned a lot. But even back on Earth, I was past the age of being "bought" by pretty faces, preferring to honor a woman's intelligence, wisdom, and determination.
And strangely, almost mysteriously, all of that was present in this young woman. So what is the reason, then? Is it that, during my acquaintance with this character in the literary version of a galaxy far, far away, the heroine appealed to me, and now I'm just painting a picture of an image I created? Which, incidentally, might differ radically from what I imagined based on my reading.
After all, if you think about it, the books, comics, games, and other works from this universe don't form a single continuous timeline for any given character. No, each work is a set of individual episodes, some of which are connected, others not. And what happened to the characters "in between" is a mystery. What did they experience, how did it affect their character and inner world? An interesting subject for study. But I no longer have time for it.
Because in my attempts to recruit Mara Jade, I took several liberties, using unsubstantiated "trump cards," like the case of the mental order from the dying Palpatine: "You will kill Luke Skywalker." Yes, that was a major blunder, born of a desperate desire to "stir things up." Funny thing — I started changing the cause-and-effect relationships of this world long before I made a final decision about what my future here would be. What was the reason for that behavior? A desire to stand out? Or to feel like a decider of fates who could make events go exactly as ordained?
Or did I make my decision about my future almost immediately after I became aware of myself in this universe, this galaxy, this body, and later merely logically justified that step? It's hard to say without psychoanalysis. And it's probably unnecessary, because a conversation extremely important to me is about to take place. A lot will depend on it. Including — my own future.
"Welcome to the Empire, Mara Jade," I said when the girl approached my position and stopped at the foot of the steps. Only a couple of meters between us. My hand automatically continued stroking the back of the ysalamiri. What's convenient about the "Palpatine-style" chair? It's multifunctional. And it has plenty of hidden compartments. Containing something interesting, not counting a small but powerful blaster. Something delivered to me by a special courier directly from the depths of Mount Tantiss. I wonder if there's a logical explanation for the fact that the room with this trophy of Palpatine's was discovered in the labyrinth under the mountain exactly as many days ago as it took for the base commander to report it and other discoveries to Pellaeon. I learned of it from him. And I, in turn, gave the commander a clear and unambiguous order. And the courier arrived precisely in the narrow window between Hoffner's interrogation-recruitment and Mara Jade's arrival. Is there some hidden intrigue of the Force in this, or is it a simple mathematical calculation of reaction time?
"You are not the Empire, Grand Admiral," the red-haired girl noted, a bit sharply. Her eyes flashed with defiance.
"An interesting way to phrase that remark," I allowed myself a restrained smile. "But not without truth. As you can see, what I command is a fleet and a base. That's all the Imperial Ruling Council granted me in exchange for keeping the political fragmentation of Imperial Space just as it is at this moment."
"It's hard to imagine a Grand Admiral agreeing to such scraps," she declared defiantly... while continuing to track my reaction.
"The best defense is a good offense, isn't it?" I asked rhetorically. "But I expected more from the Emperor's Hand."
"I was her," the girl reminded me. "But not anymore... If there's no Emperor, there is no Hand."
"Is that so," I said, crossing my legs. "Then why are you here, Mara Jade?"
For an instant, the girl's gaze seemed to stumble; she looked aside and...
And that was enough to understand the reason she sent the distress signal from Myrkr. She is broken. She served a mighty state, a ruler she considered nearly ideal. Then, when the second Death Star exploded, everything was taken from her. At once. No opportunities, no prospects. Just a high-level access code and a trick or two up her sleeve. Her attempts to return to the Empire were thwarted by the Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard, for her own personal motives. And Jade didn't even try anymore. Because, for the Empire without Palpatine, she was a nobody. During the Imperial Civil War, which began after Palpatine's death and isn't really over yet, she would most likely have been simply eliminated as a potential hindrance, rather than used for her intended purpose.
She started a new life. Which I just uncompromisingly destroyed. Jade responded to the offer to return to the Empire, but now she's no longer sure it's the right move. Because her only motivation for coming back is to be involved in something, anywhere. Preferably something she knows and is good at. And this is a very dangerous moment — one careless word, one expression, could make her turn away from me, making her if not a sworn enemy, then certainly not a friend. And that is the last thing I need.
"I served the Emperor," the girl said, apparently collecting her thoughts. "I worked for the good of the Empire. I wanted to continue doing what I do best. But I was wrong. The Empire is not what it was. And I doubt there's a place for me in it."
An interesting statement. And it could be believed, if not for one fact. Mara Jade has been "inside" this Empire for far too short a time to judge what she just spoke about. Yes, she had five and a half years to observe the situation from "the outside." But she is a professional. And people like her don't judge the contents by the cover. That means her words are a lie. A provocation. A test. An evaluation of my reaction.
The girl is pretending. At least for now. Well, two can play this game.
"That you haven't forgotten and continue to practice what the Emperor and Imperial instructors taught you is, without a doubt, commendable," I said, stroking the ysalamiri's back. "But you are not on a mission, Mara Jade. And I am not the subject of your mission. If you want answers to your questions, ask them. Within acceptable limits, I will be frank. But I won't lie to you. I value you, your skills, and my own time far too much to act that way."
"A Grand Admiral willing to be candid?" the red-haired woman asked mockingly. "Something new. As I recall, the Emperor selected candidates for those positions based on very different criteria."
"There was only one criterion — effective service to the Empire," I said in a level tone. "In your case, frankness equals effectiveness. You've been kept in the dark, misled, and flat-out lied to for quite some time already. Even your last employer turned out to be slightly different from who you were used to thinking he was. And you left him without a problem. The logical decision is to be frank with you, without compromising my plans, of course. Perhaps then you will deem it the right choice to stand on my side."
"Your side?" the Emperor's Hand clarified. "Not the Empire's?"
"Given that you've been in hiding for over five years, in no hurry to return to duty, one can conclude that the current Empire is not on your path," I said. "But there's a chance that you and I can find common ground."
"What's the catch?" the woman asked warily. "The Thrawn I knew would never have put the question that way."
"Considering that all your knowledge of me boils down to your presence at the secret ceremony where I was granted the rank of Grand Admiral, stories the Emperor told you about my actions, reports, and briefings, it's truly surprising that you draw conclusions about me so easily," my tone was calm, reasoned. No panic. Even if I was wrong somewhere, and they had crossed paths before, Mara is a smart girl. She'll think up the reason for this particular version of events herself.
The girl was silent for a while. Then, shaking her head, she asked:
"What were you doing in the Unknown Regions?"
"Carrying out the Emperor's orders," I replied calmly.
"A cartographic expedition carried out by a whole Grand Admiral?" Jade sneered. "You promised frankness, Thrawn."
"I promised you frankness within the limits that would not harm my plans," I had to remind her. "I was given an order — I carried it out. Right up until I realized that my absence would lead the Empire to ruin. Upon my return from the Unknown Regions, the Imperial Ruling Council placed certain forces at my disposal, granted me the authority of Supreme Commander, along with a number of conditions, provided that I receive the necessary support."
"And in return — you stay out of their politics," Jade recalled my own words. "Supreme Commander... If Vader were alive, he wouldn't have allowed it."
"History has no subjunctive mood, Mara Jade," I noted. "Darth Vader is dead, Emperor Palpatine is dead, the Empire's sphere of influence has shrunk to a third of its former territory. And the Imperial Ruling Council and the leadership of other Imperial Remnants are so afraid of my interference in internal affairs that they gave me complete freedom of action, just to keep me away from Orinda and the other capital worlds of the Imperial Remnants. So yes, in a certain sense, the Empire has changed. Radically."
"And what are you trying to achieve, Grand Admiral?" she asked inquisitively.
"The realization of my own plans," I replied. The girl wrinkled her nose almost imperceptibly, understanding she wouldn't get a better answer.
"Am I part of your plans?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.
"If you wish to cooperate," I confirmed.
"Right," she scoffed. "For you, I'm just another one of those 'valuable resources' you intend to bring back into the Empire's fold."
"If you would have preferred that I name your old position with Karrde directly, you only had to say so," I clarified, avoiding the subtext of the question.
"Effectively, you've already outed me to the 'Claw,'" she said. "If before he only guessed about my past, after the conversation on his base on Myrkr, he became certain."
"And he hastened to get rid of you," I concluded. "Instead of investigating and making a balanced decision. Not the most rational or sensible approach."
"You knew the 'Claw' was hiding the coordinates of the 'Katana Fleet,'" she declared. "You could have killed everyone on Myrkr, captured him, tortured him, and gotten the information you needed, without bothering to find Captain Hoffner and pay him a bonus."
"In that case, a chain of events would have been set in motion whose outcome would not have aligned with my plans. Every action must have a specific goal, and the result must outweigh the negative consequences," I declared. "Destroying Karrde and his people did not serve my plans. Nor did forcibly capturing and detaining you."
"And you think that by flattering me with a promise of frankness, but responding to my questions with only vague hints, you'll win my voluntary cooperation?" She shook her head. "No, Thrawn, that won't work."
"Then remember what you were taught, Mara Jade," my unsolicited advice provoked poorly concealed indignation in her. "And start asking the right questions. The ones you really want to hear the answers to. Before I start asking them."
Mara Jade was silent. Thinking. And she didn't dare ask directly. Because that would mean going back to the past, to that very psychologically traumatic situation for her. Well, if the mountain won't come to Muhammad...
"Have the visions returned?" I asked. The girl flinched as if electrocuted.
From under her mane of golden-red hair, two green fires stared at me — fires that could have easily been the muzzles of a pair of blasters. If not for the ysalamiri, which was enjoying having its chin scratched.
"From your reaction, I can see they have," I continued, in the same bored, professorial tone, as if I hadn't noticed the emotions that flashed across her face. That's exactly how Thrawn would have behaved in my place. Would have pushed her to the edge. "Given that Luke Skywalker is still alive, you're in no hurry to carry out the Emperor's final command. Yet you claim that without him, you see no point in serving the Empire. Double standards on your part, Mara Jade, are truly interesting."
"You wanted me to ask you the 'right' questions," the former Emperor's Hand hissed like a snake. "Alright then. I want to know how you know this. No spy could have found this out!"
"Now that is the right question, Mara Jade," I allowed myself a modest smile. "I have sources of information. And one day, if we are on the same side, you will gain access to some of them. But in this case, it's merely a conclusion based on the Emperor's maniacal desire to subjugate or eliminate Darth Vader's son."
"What!?" Jade gasped. "Luke Skywalker... he..."
"Is the son of a fallen Jedi whom Emperor Palpatine turned to the Dark Side of the Force in the final hours of the Old Republic," I said. "Anakin Skywalker was the name Darth Vader once bore. Up until the destruction of the first Death Star, the Emperor did not know his apprentice had offspring." Candor is good where it cannot ruin your plans. In other cases, using circumlocutions allows you to simultaneously tell the truth and conceal its extent. And to shift attention from a sharp point to less "thin ice," a relatively shocking revelation will do. Which, given the girl's current unstable psychological state, will fall on fertile ground. I just need to reinforce the shock effect with revelations equally painful for her. "Up until the attack on the Rebel base on the planet Hoth, Vader himself didn't know. The Emperor tasked him with capturing Luke Skywalker in order to turn him to the Dark Side."
"But... why?" Jade asked, stunned. "Vader is... stronger."
"My knowledge of the Force is quite limited," I exaggerated the extent of my awareness, "but I suspect that a person sensitive to it, having only one cybernetic prosthetic instead of half a body, is far more powerful. Darth Vader was half a cyborg. But knowing the scale of the late Emperor's planning, I can only assume that young Skywalker was destined for the role of one of the Emperor's Hands — until he had acquired the same knowledge and power as Darth Vader himself. Then the son would eliminate the father. The Emperor would have gained a more capable servant."
"And when Vader and Skywalker turned against him, Palpatine could only kill Vader, as the weaker one because of his prosthetics and armor," Jade reasoned. "And he tasked me with eliminating the son."
"From what I know, you were supposed to eliminate Skywalker back at Jabba the Hutt's palace, when the Rebels were rescuing Captain Solo. But you failed." Jade shot me a look full of hatred. "It's interesting that the Emperor, understanding Skywalker's level of danger, sent only one of his Hands on this mission, while he could have used all his resources..."
This time, she recovered from the shock of what she heard enough to react:
"I was the only Emperor's Hand!"
"Are you sure?" I smiled sardonically. "Or do you prefer to indulge in that hope?"
Jade pursed her lips, looking at me with such a withering gaze that, willingly or not, I wanted to flinch. But I couldn't. My reputation demands it. Show weakness — any weakness, rather than demonstrate to her that "candor is just another exotic game Thrawn plays with his interlocutors' minds" and the farce will be exposed.
"You are lying," she said, her voice unsteady.
"I am keeping my word and being candid with you, Mara Jade," I looked at her with condescending, slightly indifferent pity. "There is no need to lie to you — that would someday come out. And you wouldn't forgive me for such treatment. I intend to secure your support. Without lies. The Emperor told you that you were exceptional because you could hear his voice from across the galaxy. But you were never the only Hand. The most receptive to his ability to transmit orders over vast distances — yes, most likely. That's precisely why he implanted his final command in you — to destroy Skywalker. A final act of revenge, in which the Emperor was quite inventive. Won't you tell me how you managed to suppress his mental message for over five years?"
"I did everything I could to forget that I could feel the Force," she said quietly. Her gaze dimmed. The fury was gone. Now before me stood not a predator ready to strike, confident in its exceptionalism and superiority, but a woman battered by life, who had just been made to understand that even the best years of her life were filled with lies. Frank and blatant lies. "I stopped using it, stopped thinking about his will — and the voice faded, the visions disappeared. But after I was taken from Myrkr... They came back. With renewed strength, just as demanding, just as ruthless..."
"In light of what has been said, have you ever considered that the Emperor's message wasn't just a cry for help, wasn't just an order, but a way of programming you to complete a specific task?" I asked. The answer had been known to me for a long time, but the effect would be much better if she reached it herself.
Mara didn't rush to answer, mulling over what had been said. She'd hardly been trained in many Force abilities, but she had some idea about this. And the more doubt took root in that red head, the easier it would be for her to decide to cross over to my side.
"The Emperor possessed exceptional abilities," she said uncertainly. "I… I'm not qualified to judge what I don't understand…"
"And I'll risk stepping onto unfamiliar ground," Mara narrowed her eyes. "I have a highly talented but mentally unstable ally in my circle. A Dark Jedi named Joruus C'baoth."
"The Emperor and Vader killed all the Jedi," the young woman noted hesitantly.
"Is that so?" I feigned surprise. "I recall that one of them, Obi-Wan Kenobi, managed to survive nineteen years after Operation Knightfall. He was even found by Luke Skywalker. Kenobi was Darth Vader's teacher when Vader was still a Jedi. Vader killed him aboard the Death Star after the destruction of Alderaan. This one fact proves the Emperor's and Vader's methods weren't effective. Where one Jedi survived, another could have been found. Possibly more. The Inquisitorius was founded from former Jedi. Vader had students sensitive to the Force. But in this case, these conclusions don't apply to my ally. He's a clone."
"Jedi can't be cloned," Mara declared. "The Emperor said that…"
"We first met at the opening of a new wing of the Imperial Palace," I shamelessly exploited what I remembered from the books about the Expanded Universe of a galaxy far, far away, passing it off as Thrawn's memories. "The Emperor introduced you to me as one of his favorite dancers. And only at the secret ceremony we've already mentioned did he tell me who you really are. But did he ever tell you how our first acquaintance came about?"
"You were found by Vos Park on a planet in the Unknown Regions," she said. "And brought to Palpatine. He was so impressed by your skills that he allowed you to serve…"
"Yes, that was our first meeting," I confirmed. "But the acquaintance happened long before that. Some time before the start of the Clone Wars. Have you ever heard of the Outbound Flight project?"
Mara nodded in affirmation.
"An expedition meant to go beyond the known galaxy," she said. "But they disappeared…"
"They were destroyed," I said calmly. "By me."
Mara's gaze filled with disbelief.
"But how…"
"The Unknown Regions are called that only because the inhabitants of this part of the galaxy have never been there," I said. "In reality, thousands of species live there; there are states. I come from one of them. The Chiss Ascendancy. I was commander of a fleet formation that discovered and destroyed a group of ships that someone named Darth Sidious sent to destroy Outbound Flight. That formation was commanded by Kinman Doriana."
"Palpatine's advisor," Mara's voice sounded interested.
"Doriana connected me with Darth Sidious, the identity Palpatine hid behind until the destruction of the Old Republic. They told me about the danger of Outbound Flight and the Jedi aboard. I reached an agreement with them. I disabled Outbound Flight and had no intention of destroying it, deciding to force them to turn back. But the expedition's leader refused to listen to reason. That was the real Jorus C'baoth. Using the Force, he began to choke me, the same way Darth Vader used to do with those who displeased him. Seeing this, Kinman Doriana activated the weapon I had designed, and Outbound Flight became a mass grave. And I received an offer from Palpatine to enter his service. Making myself exiled from my homeland wasn't difficult. And only after that did Vos Park find me. So, my current ally is a clone. But you shouldn't disclose this information."
"But… what about… cloning?" Mara Jade was at a loss for words.
"The clone is insane," I continued. "Perhaps it was intended that way, perhaps it's a side effect, but the fact remains. C'baoth believes himself to be the last Jedi in the galaxy, and therefore seeks students."
"I wouldn't want to be among them," the girl shuddered. "But cloning was banned after the Clone Wars!"
"Do you really think the Emperor cared about bans?" I was genuinely surprised. The girl's gaze dropped slightly. "You were in his treasure vault," she looked at me in surprise. "Mount Tantiss on the planet Wayland. There are a great many of Palpatine's trophies there. Including the means to create clones. A copy of the real C'baoth was created there, and apparently left to guard this warehouse, full of beautiful works of art and technological achievements."
"I haven't been to Wayland as often as you think," Mara shook her head. "If things were as you say, the Emperor would certainly have used the resources of his treasure vault to defeat the rebels."
"You think he would have used every opportunity to destroy his enemies?" I clarified with a slight smirk on my lips. All I needed to spring the trap was her correct reaction to my mockery. After all, she still didn't believe that the Emperor, the same one who found her, trained her, named her his Hand, revealed the secrets of the Force to her so she could serve as a conduit for his will, the one she almost deified, had lied to her, looking her in the eye year after year.
"Yes," she said firmly. "I don't know what game you're playing, Thrawn, but lies don't suit you. Apparently the Unknown Regions have changed you beyond recognition."
"Yes, the Unknown Regions change sentients," I agreed, to let her feel a hint of triumph. "But perhaps you should find Luke Skywalker and ask him who actually threw the Emperor down the ventilation shaft?"
Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. Doubt began to gnaw at the girl.
"What are you talking about?" she asked. "The Emperor showed me how Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker fought with lightsabers, and then turned their weapons against him. I saw the Emperor burn Vader with Force lightning, how Skywalker…"
She stopped short, obviously realizing I wasn't watching her with an indifferent gaze for no reason.
"Are you sure?" I clarified.
"Yes," she said, not too firmly.
"And I still disagree with you," I said. "My experience with the C'baoth clone allows me to conclude that followers of the Dark Side of the Force are capable of manipulating the minds of their underlings. They use any means to achieve their goals, including simple deception. It wasn't Luke Skywalker who killed the Emperor, but Darth Vader. The Dark Lord of the Sith stood beside the Emperor at the very moment Palpatine was trying to kill Skywalker with lightning. Because Skywalker fought Vader but didn't kill him, so as not to become like the Emperor's apprentice himself, as I understand it. Based on what I know about Darth Vader, he would not have allowed anyone to kill his child. Therefore, it was Vader who picked up Palpatine, interrupted his attack, and threw him down the shaft."
"That… can't be," Mara said absently. "He wouldn't have lied… Not to me…"
"And what made you different from the rest?" I shrugged. "Perhaps better than the ancient Jedi Arden Lin, whom the Emperor turned to his side and promised to resurrect her beloved, who died over twenty thousand years ago?"
"Where do you get this information?" the tension in Mara's voice was palpable.
"When the deception was revealed, that woman joined forces with the rebel Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin," I replied, fully understanding that Lin's story was the key that could unlock all of Mara's doubts. "You remember for what merits Palpatine gave me the opportunity to become one of the twelve Grand Admirals?"
"Effective elimination of the Zaarin rebellion," Mara Jade said quietly.
"And it was assigned to me because of the absolute effectiveness of my actions," I continued to exploit data inaccessible to her. "Palpatine understood perfectly how loyal I was to him, because in a way we both sought to secure the galaxy from a huge threat. And he gave me a chance to prove to the entire Empire that even an alien could be an excellent commander. I wouldn't ask questions — I would carry out the order just as before. Palpatine only overlooked one thing — I asked myself about the reasons for Zaarin's betrayal. Understanding the enemy is the key to victory. Zaarin was an excellent engineer and gave a lot to the Empire. His disillusionment with the Emperor's policies turned him into an enemy. And eliminating dissent could cut off the negative consequences caused by the rebellion. During the investigation of Zaarin's betrayal, I learned of the existence of the Emperor's Hands. But not about you — our acquaintance came later. About Arden Lin and her story." Half-truth is not a lie. In reality, I learned about the existence of the Emperor's Hands roughly that way — first I started reading the "Thrawn Trilogy," then I tried to find out who these "Hands" were. And the direct connection between Arden Lin and Zaarin allowed me to delve into the story of the rebellious Grand Admiral as well. And even if I distort the facts somewhat, I didn't promise her the truth — only the absence of lies. "At the time, that fact didn't seem significant to me — as the Emperor, Palpatine could allow himself a lot, and it wasn't for me to judge him. And after granting me the rank of Grand Admiral, Palpatine decided to send me far away — to where the political intrigues of the other Grand Admirals supposedly couldn't reach me. Rufaan Tigellinus in particular. But the truth is different — Palpatine knew or suspected what I had learned. And he took all possible steps both to preserve a valuable resource — me, and to prevent me from repeating Zaarin's fate, if I were to learn more."
"I can't believe this," Mara Jade admitted, swallowing. "He… he never lied…"
"You think so?" How many times have I asked this question already? "I have something for you."
From my breast pocket I took out a data chip and handed it to the girl. Slowly, as if her legs wouldn't obey, Mara approached and accepted the device.
"What's on it?" she asked hoarsely.
"Names," I replied. "Aralina Silk, Jeng Droga, Jallar Gollin, Shira Elan Colla Brie, better known as Lumiya, Marek Stele, Roganda Ismaren, Sa Kuiss, Sarcev Quest, Vess Kogo."
"Who are they?" the redhead frowned.
"The Emperor's Hands," I simply replied. The girl's eyes widened. "At least those he bothered to enter into the database on Wayland. I'll provide you with equipment to verify the authenticity of these files."
The girl clutched the device tightly in her hand, as if it were the greatest treasure.
"Did they all receive orders to kill Skywalker?" she asked, stepping back to where she had stood before.
"That I don't know for certain," I didn't push too far with diluting the truth with my own conclusions. "However, Shira Brie tried to kill Skywalker — before you. But it also ended in failure for her. Roganda Ismaren — nothing more than a prominent woman the Emperor used as a gift for his close associates, and thus she obtained information that she reported to Palpatine. Sarcev Quest is currently taking measures to strengthen his power over the Imperial Ruling Council, intending to seize control of the remnants of the Empire."
"I've heard some of these names, but I didn't know… that they… were also Hands," the girl was clearly trying to cope with her own confusion.
"Palpatine hid from you the fact that there were other Hands, because he played on your sense of gratitude and self-deception about being exceptional," I continued to press on the sore spot. "He knew perfectly well that among the other Hands there was unlikely to be similar loyalty, so he used you to eliminate Luke Skywalker."
"Which could mean he still trusted me more than the others," she said with unexpected stubbornness.
"And yet you never even tried to kill Skywalker," I reminded her. "For five long years…"
The girl looked at me with unprecedented malice.
"In any case, is it important how you felt about Palpatine?" I asked rhetorically. "The sharper question is — how did he feel about you."
The conversation was not going as I had planned. Mara Jade was demonstrating enviable obstinacy, which was starting to irritate me a little. If she really was so loyal to him, then she would be more trouble than use. Hitting the panic button and letting Rukh and the stormtroopers in through the hidden door behind me wouldn't take long. But trying to recruit her was still possible. Too bad I'd have to play my trump cards.
"I still don't believe you, Thrawn," she shook her head.
"That's your business," I shrugged indifferently. "In the end, you can always take a ship and go to the Deep Core, to the planet Byss, and ask everything yourself. But then again, you can't. Neither can I. We haven't been invited there. We've been assigned entirely different roles."
"What do you mean by that?" how many times had she furrowed her brows during our conversation? But credit where it's due — even in anger, she was beautiful.
"I mean that Emperor Palpatine is using you, me, and a huge number of sentients across the galaxy to do all his dirty work and remove the most serious obstacles from his path, like Luke Skywalker and the strengthening of the New Republic's power," I said with feigned indifference. Seeing that she continued to stare at me with a puzzled look, I added with a smirk:
"You still don't get it? Emperor Palpatine didn't die. He was reborn in a clone body on the planet Byss and is gathering an army to eradicate any dissent at the root. Once and for all."
* * *
Mara felt her throat tighten.
Palpatine alive?! But how is that possible?!
"Thrawn," she rasped. "Don't joke like that. You're walking on very thin ice. I won't even need the Force to knock the nonsense out of you. If this is another of your tricks…"
The Grand Admiral looked at her, tilting his head to the side. As if trying to understand from another angle whether she was a fool.
They bored into each other with their gazes. And Mara was the first to look away, unable to bear the contrast: the Grand Admiral sitting in a chair strikingly similar to the one Palpatine occupied in her visions…
The light blue skin of Thrawn's face and bare arms contrasted sharply with his snow-white uniform, the unbearable shimmer of auraudium epaulets, his jet-black hair, and the crimson fire of his scrutinizing eyes.
"I don't know what game you're playing, Thrawn, but even for you this is too much," she muttered, shaking her head and turning her back to the Grand Admiral. Clutching the data chip in her hand, she strode away, feeling herself leaving the ysalamiri's Force-suppression zone. Not for nothing had Thrawn holed up with that Hutt's lizard! He did everything so that even with her meager abilities she couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or brazenly lying. "I don't remember you being cruel. A tough commander — yes, but lying to my face like this…"
"As I promised — I'm speaking with you frankly," Thrawn's voice was rich in overtones and so compelling that the girl didn't immediately realize she was paying attention to him again. Though she had just been about to get the hell out of there. She realized she was taking a step forward when it was already too late.
"You will kill Luke Skywalker…"
Mara shuddered all over. The voice that sounded in her head could belong to only one living being in the entire universe. She had heard that voice so often that she couldn't mistake it for any other.
The image of Thrawn seemed to dissolve. Now before her, on a throne in the semi-dark compartment of the second Death Star, sat the Emperor. He looked at her from beneath his lowered hood, his piercing, rage-filled eyes burning with yellow fire, penetrating to the very core of her consciousness. She saw his dry, aged fingers digging into the armrests of the chair, the black fabric of his robe frozen around his figure like concentrated darkness…
She came to her senses only when she felt a sudden chill run through her body. She blinked — and the vision disappeared. Instead, the Grand Admiral stood before her, holding the ysalamir in his hands. About fifteen or twenty feet away, but standing, having risen from the throne, descended the steps, and covered the distance necessary for her to enter the range of the lizard's natural ability…
"Another vision?" he asked. And his voice no longer seemed so cold. On the contrary, there were notes of… concern? No, it couldn't be. From anyone, but not from Thrawn. He was a cold, calculating killing machine in the guise of a blue-skinned humanoid. Knew no sympathy, no pity… Palpatine showed her more attention than Thrawn ever showed anyone. No, she must have imagined it.
"I'm fine," she ground out through her teeth. The Grand Admiral slid an indifferent glance over her, turned, and slowly walked back. Mara, not wanting to experience a vision for the third time since leaving Myrkr, took a few cautious steps and froze at the foot of the steps. "I want to know if you're telling the truth about the Emperor possibly being alive."
"He is alive," Thrawn said calmly. "Gathering power on the planet Byss in the Deep Core, as I said."
"Then why aren't you at his side?" a thought surfaced in the back of her mind that she had heard something about Byss somewhere, sometime. But she couldn't remember what exactly. And she used to have a perfect memory.
"For the same reason you remained in ignorance these five and a half years," he said, stroking the lizard's belly. "I am as much a resource in the Emperor's plan as you and all the others to whom his emissaries did not come."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked.
"No one is going to convince you of what you don't want to accept," Thrawn shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I know, sharing the conclusions and observations I've made during my return from the Unknown Regions, and you'll draw your own conclusions."
"Thank you for permission," Mara said sarcastically. Though she understood perfectly well that Thrawn was impervious to such verbal exercises.
"Until I discovered the Emperor's treasure vault at Mount Tantiss, I only knew about the existence of two Hands — you and Arden Lin," he said. "The latter presumably died during the campaign against Zaarin; you disappeared. My agents searched for any information about you, and as you can see, they found it. I offer to come under my direct command, but the final choice is yours. One choice. Everything is decided here and now — there will be no more offers."
"Tell me about Palpatine," she demanded, barely containing the fury raging within her. If he had deceived her…
"Don't you dare dictate terms to me," Thrawn clipped quietly. And from his "fatherly" tone, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. "Even in private, you and I are in different weight classes."
"Exactly so," Mara continued to escalate. "I was his Hand. I spoke with him, while you Grand Admirals could only listen."
"And?" Thrawn's right eyebrow rose. "I understand that memory fails you due to overwhelming emotions, but there are boundaries that it's… dangerous to cross. Whatever mythical importance you use to indulge your ego, it's in the past."
Mara burned him with a furious glare.
In response, Thrawn ignored her, merely shrugging.
Which infuriated her even more.
"Who is your source of information?" she demanded.
"If you seriously expect me to reveal it to you, then it's now clear why Palpatine left behind a woman incapable of setting aside her fantasies, living in the illusions of the past, to deal with Skywalker," he said, accompanying his words with a look full of contemptuous disappointment.
Mara felt as if she had been doused with ice water.
How stupid! To come here, show up by invitation, and try to demand something when in reality she was… nobody.
If even half of what he said was true, if the Emperor really had lied to her, used her to get rid of Skywalker, and furthermore had been reborn, spitting on her existence… She had been practically wiped off. And Thrawn had just shown that he would throw her out by the scruff of her neck. Because right now she was nothing more than dead weight.
"I… apologize for my impulsiveness," she said quietly, trying not to look at Thrawn, who was paying attention to stroking the ysalamir. Oh, how she would have loved to get far away from that red-tailed creature. But she was afraid the vision might overtake her again.
"For the first and last time, I'll forgive you, Mara Jade," Thrawn didn't even bother to look at her. Instead, he devoted more attention to stroking the lizard's belly. "If you have calmed your inner demons and are ready to continue the dialogue, we can proceed. If not, tell me where you want to be taken, and a ship will be provided."
"Thank you," the girl swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "I think I'll stay. I'd like to hear your thoughts."
She felt the chip clutched in her hand beginning to dig into her skin. A little more pressure, and the device would shatter into pieces.
"After discovering the Emperor's treasure vault, I encountered a Jedi clone," Thrawn continued his story as if nothing had happened. "He is firmly convinced that he flew to Wayland, fought the Guardian of the mountain, and defeated him. Can you recall anyone who guarded the Emperor's treasure vault?"
"There was an automated defense system," Mara scraped through her memory. "And the locals are so underdeveloped that they couldn't even get past the main gate for the next couple of centuries."
Thrawn nodded silently, apparently in time with his thoughts.
"There are many interesting things in the Emperor's treasure vault," he said. "However, a cursory review of the information from his library showed that part of the data had been destroyed. C'baoth explained that during the time that passed from his killing of the Guardian until my arrival, others had come to Wayland who wanted to enlist the help of the Dark Jedi. Though not only for that — they were more interested in the treasure vault. C'baoth killed them all — using the Emperor's favorite method, lightning. Interesting, isn't it?"
"What did those sentients want inside the mountain?" Mara asked.
"They were purging the Emperor's archives," Thrawn explained. "A vast amount of data has either been damaged or deliberately edited so that anyone who finds it will have no idea what power those ships possessed. Most of them have vanished not only from the Empire's sight but from the New Republic's as well. Cross-referencing indicates they were mostly Super Star Destroyers of the Eclipse, Sovereign, Retribution, Bellator-class, along with the newest escort starships."
"How does that relate to your claim that Palpatine is alive?" Mara asked impatiently. Her inner world was torn in two opposite directions. On one side, she understood that Thrawn might simply be misleading her. For him, deceiving an opponent was nothing more than a tactical or strategic ploy. He was a professional at such tricks. And if he was telling her something, he knew—perhaps not immediately, but in time—that the information could be verified. The duel aboard the second Death Star, the data purge in the Emperor's secret vault, the existence of other Hands, the Emperor's mental message… She could find out all of it without any trouble. She only had to nod, declare her loyalty to Thrawn, and he would let her in on his affairs. Not right away, but he would begin to trust her. And once she had some measure of power, she could achieve more than simply refusing and walking away.
On the other side… She thought she knew Thrawn well enough. And he was fully aware of her abilities. He had decided to play on something that had been out of her reach for a long time. Candor.
And the worst part was, the more she believed in the first scenario, the more convinced she became that the second was actually the most optimal. Thrawn studied his enemy so thoroughly and so unconventionally that he could literally predict their next move. She had asked herself many times—could he be sensitive to the Force? Just hiding it well… But over the long years of serving the Empire, she had never found confirmation. Neither had the Emperor. And he couldn't have been deceived for so long… Probably.
"According to my information, after the death of Palpatine's body aboard the second Death Star, only his physical incarnation perished. I am not familiar with the abilities of Jedi or Sith, but looking at C'baoth, I am certain that death can be deceived. The Emperor—and there is no one else—pulled off the resurrection trick with C'baoth, who had been his advisor back in the days of the Old Republic. He used cloning technology, possibly long before it was openly employed to produce soldiers during the Clone Wars. Perhaps he had help, but knowing his character, I am certain it was only the most trusted among his inner circle. Not servants—allies. How exactly he managed to resurrect C'baoth, who died long before the present day, and what knowledge he used for it, I do not know. But logical analysis shows that the resurrection of the dark Jedi was nothing more than a rehearsal for the Emperor's own triumphant return."
"That's just speculation," Mara Jade snorted. Somehow Thrawn wasn't very convincing. Because he wasn't sure, or was he… She felt a thin trickle of cold sweat running down her back, between her shoulder blades. On the contrary, he was sure. He was just toying with her. Making her relax so he could shock her with a piece of information backed by arguments she couldn't dispute.
"Delude yourself if you wish, Mara Jade," Thrawn shrugged. "But I am confident that a being as great and mighty as the Emperor would never, under any circumstances, accept defeat. He was a master of intrigue, weaving a web of lies and half-truths around his enemies and allies alike to make them act as he needed."
"But not by pretending to be dead," she snorted. Thrawn's arguments were increasingly sounding like conjecture.
"And how is that method worse than any other?" the Grand Admiral looked at her in surprise. "After all the conspiracies, intrigues, behind-the-scenes palace games, false allies, and the betrayal of his own apprentice, why not slip into the shadows, armed with a resurrection technology perfected on C'baoth? Slowly and carefully gathering strength, summoning those commanders he deemed reliable? Entire flotillas vanished from the face of the galaxy without the slightest hint of where they were or what became of them. Consider it yourself. You believe yourself to be the only one of the Emperor's Hands. You think that only with you was he close enough to share his will. So close that he entrusted you with killing Luke Skywalker in secret from Vader. Why?"
"If I think in your terms—because he wasn't sure Vader wouldn't betray him at the critical moment," Jade said after a moment's thought. She said it without fully believing her own words, though she clearly understood that… it was true. Hard to explain why she thought that way. But she remembered perfectly: after Vader, with an entire fleet, let Skywalker escape on Bespin, the Emperor was… mildly put, not thrilled. So why wouldn't he simply play it safe and eliminate Skywalker before everything went wrong? Especially on Jabba's territory… And yet…
Mara felt she had found the answer.
"You understand," Thrawn stated.
"Palpatine, a master of intrigue and multi-layered schemes, was playing several games at once. In one, he sent Vader after his son. To kill or to deliver for subjugation. Either option would have suited him. The Dark Lord failed the mission on Hoth. And he knew full well that Skywalker was his son. Given how deeply Palpatine was mired in his own intrigues, and his inner circle being a match, it is logical to assume that Darth Vader was no longer as loyal as before. After all, he had once been a Jedi. I am not well-versed in the Order's history, but several cases of redemption are guaranteed to have occurred: fallen Jedi returned to the fold of their teachings. And if so, Vader can no longer be trusted. He is no longer an apprentice, no longer an heir to the throne—he is a hypothetical threat. So Palpatine sent you to Tatooine. Right when the rebels' operation to free Han Solo began. And you had one mission: kill Skywalker. I do not know the details," Thrawn looked at her, his gaze almost pinning her to the floor. "Not yet. But I am certain that it was meant to appear exactly as if Jabba had disposed of Skywalker. Suppose the Sith Lord found out that the crime king had executed his child—what would he do then?"
"If Vader truly was straying from the Sith path, showing feelings for his son, he would have swept through the Outer Rim like a firestorm," Mara knew the Sith Lord's heavy temperament all too well.
"Add to that the fact that criminals quite often helped the Rebel Alliance, and their numerous bases were located at the time, among other places, in the Outer Rim," Thrawn continued her thought. Mara shuddered internally—she had thought of that herself. If so, then… That was in character for the Emperor.
"In the other case, if Darth Vader remained loyal to the Emperor and the appearance of his son meant nothing to him, then Palpatine used your hand simply to eliminate a potential threat in the person of young Skywalker," Thrawn said. "Darth Vader was competent enough for the tasks Palpatine gave him. And if a candidate to replace him did not wish to side with the Emperor, why replace Vader at all?"
"But the Emperor made Vader bring Skywalker to him," Mara Jade said. "Which of the two versions you proposed does that event fit under?"
"The third," Thrawn said impassively. "You failed on Tatooine. And he had to change his plans. By that time, he already had a plan to lure the Rebel Alliance to Endor for the final battle. The second Death Star was combat-capable and could easily destroy the rebel fleet. The Emperor brought several Grand Admirals and trusted advisors aboard. He brought a fleet, set a trap where nothing could go wrong. But even then, he had a backup plan."
"According to you, he made Skywalker fight Vader," Mara said. The longer she listened to Thrawn, the more she realized that the Grand Admiral knew the Emperor extremely well. And what he was saying… could be true. But she needed to verify it herself.
"Since you failed, he took matters into his own hands," Thrawn shrugged. "If Skywalker had killed his father, he would have become his replacement beside the Emperor. If not, then Palpatine would have rid himself of the Jedi. Even Vader's betrayal was part of the Emperor's plan, but I think it was the least likely scenario."
Which is exactly what happened, Mara finished the logical chain in her mind.
"But if, as you say, the Emperor was reborn, then why did he order me to kill Skywalker?" she asked. "He could have done it himself."
"How long do you think it takes to create a clone body?" Thrawn inquired.
"On Kamino, they grew them in ten years," she quickly found the answer in her memory.
"True," the Grand Admiral nodded almost imperceptibly. "And we will return to that someday. But for your information, Kaminoan cloning technology is not the only one. On Mount Tantiss, you saw an entire cavern full of cloning equipment. That is Spaarti technology, which allows the creation of a fully combat-ready clone in one standard year. Did the Emperor not tell you about this?"
Mara's teeth ground audibly.
"No," she replied. "So you are using Spaarti cloning cylinders?"
Thrawn looked at her for a moment. Not with his usual indifference. With interest—the kind a scientist has when studying a previously unknown species.
"Yes," he replied. Mara felt her mouth go dry. Thrawn had just told her, bluntly, that he possessed something capable of turning the tide of the war between the Empire and the rebels… And he told her so simply, as if it were no secret at all. He didn't even try to evade, claiming that revealing this information might somehow affect his plans… Did he trust her that much!? Or… Everything inside her went cold.
If Thrawn was revealing the secret of the cloning cylinders so easily, then… Perhaps he possessed something even more terrible than the technology to create copies of sentients.
If the cloning cylinders could produce copies in a standard year, and Thrawn had been involved in the Empire's affairs for a year already… then he either already had, or would soon have, an army of clones! So that was why he needed the ships! He didn't need long training periods for personnel—he could make as many clones as needed to crew an entire fleet. That was why the ysalamiri were on the ships—so no one could figure out that under the same faceless stormtrooper helmets could be the same face! And this wasn't done to oppose her—it was to control that very dark Jedi! Whose power was surely immense, since he was a product of Palpatine's work.
"And now, Mara Jade," Thrawn said in a silky voice, "consider: if Palpatine kept such riches on Mount Tantiss, what is he hiding on Byss, where he never took you?"
The woman felt herself losing touch with reality. If she even for a minute considered that Thrawn was right, and everything happening here was just part of Palpatine's plan… If he was truly alive… If he truly singled her out among the other Hands… Why hadn't he called her to him?!
"You wonder why you are here and not on Byss?" Thrawn seemed to pluck the question from her mind. Mara didn't bother to answer. He didn't need one.
"You're not there either," Jade asserted.
"No, we've already touched on that," the Grand Admiral reminded her. "You and I are resources. Like all those who remained in the galaxy and were not recalled to the Deep Core. Our task is to distract the New Republic, to prevent it from gathering enough strength to impede Palpatine's return and mount serious resistance. A destabilizing factor, nothing more. We are expendable, ideological followers of all that was best in the Empire. Or rather, we were. That is the calculation—that you, I, and other Imperials who preserved the ideals and faith in the best the Empire gave the galaxy, will not rest and will continue the war. I believe that is why the entire contents of Mount Tantiss were left behind—as necessary means to inflict damage on the enemy. The maximum possible. Byss and the Deep Core worlds, as I understand it, possess far greater military potential than Mount Tantiss. Therefore, as I've said, our role is merely that of active interference. Whether we die or survive during the period of the New Republic's weakening is essentially irrelevant—the key is to inflict damage that the New Republic's bureaucratic apparatus cannot handle in the short term, and consequently, after the attacks, the enemy will be maximally weakened and will offer minimal resistance. Their ships will need repairs, their experienced fighters will die in these battles, and the recruits will pose a lesser threat. And after us, the resurrected Palpatine will come and restore his power. Only his emissaries are already active across the galaxy, drawing all necessary resources to him. To my knowledge, Grand Moff Ardus Kaine has already been recruited by Palpatine's emissaries from Byss. As you may have noticed, the Pentastar Alignment is not conducting active campaigns. Yet it possesses enormous mobilization and military resources. Imperial Space has also gone on the defensive. As has the Ciutric Hegemony, though I have no information about links between Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel and the Emperor. But I do have information that he is holding prisoners from the Lusankya, who were previously held by Ysanne Isard. As I recall, you were acquainted with her?"
"And not in the best way," Mara narrowed her eyes. "As Director of Imperial Intelligence, she was used to knowing everything about everyone. But about me, she couldn't find a scrap of information, which drove her furious. Once she even organized a hunt for me, interrogated me, but got nothing. I escaped."
"You were very lucky," Thrawn remarked. "Or perhaps you were simply better than the Emperor's lover could imagine."
Mara raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You…"
"…do not intend to discuss the Emperor's personal life," Thrawn said indifferently. "It is enough that you avoided the fate Ysanne Isard had in store for you. The same Countess Iran Ryad was not so fortunate. As for confirmation of their relationship… Have you never wondered why Palpatine gave two of the first Super Star Destroyers of the Executor project to his apprentice and to the Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard? The key point in that matter is the 'first' Super Star Destroyers."
The woman grimaced in displeasure and involuntarily shuddered. No, until now she had never thought about it. Had never even considered it. Palpatine, while alive, never allowed her to cross paths with the Iceheart closely. He likely didn't think they would become friends or anything like that, but… He meticulously guarded his secrets. He was a master at that.
The "Red Star"an aristocrat and ace pilot who formed a flying unit with her own funds, which at the end of her life was equipped with very expensive but no less effective TIE Defenders. And who was accused by Ysanne Isard of treason. For which she was executed by the pilots of Baron Soontir Fel. A dirty story, but one that only confirmed a long-known fact throughout the Empire—crossing the Iceheart, as Ysanne Isard was called, meant death. Even if you were merely doing your duty.
"So why do you continue to fight alone?" Mara clarified. "From your words, I gather that you have only an illusion of support from the Empire. If Delak Krennel is not connected to the Emperor, whom you for some reason do not wish to join, then he could become your ally."
"I do not wish to waste my time fighting Ysanne Isard," he said. For the umpteenth time in this conversation, she was stunned. "Oh, you are surprised. You thought she died on Thyferra?"
"The rebels trumpeted that all over the HoloNet," Mara Jade whispered, tasting blood. She must have bitten her lip. If she just imagined for a moment that Isard was alive…
"According to my information, Krennel only has a clone of Isard," Thrawn stated calmly. "Her task is merely to watch the prisoners. And at the moment the real Iceheart needs, to divert the New Republic's attention from her goal."
"And what is her goal?" Mara Jade asked, desperately hoping Thrawn would not name her own name.
"Think," Thrawn offered. "The Iceheart received from Palpatine's hands something significant, a symbol of her power, where she drove sentients insane, turning them into living weapons. And she lost it. And now she is terrified, because she knows what Palpatine will do to her upon his return if she does not retrieve…"
"The Lusankya," Jade said. "Isard wants her own Super Star Destroyer back."
"And to present it as a gift to the resurrected Palpatine," Thrawn confirmed.
"And I thought you served the Emperor because you had some shared goals," Mara narrowed her eyes, trying to catch the Grand Admiral in a misstatement.
"They remain," Thrawn said, almost wearily. "Only Palpatine, it turns out, was less concerned with the confrontation against the Far Outsiders than with his immediate power over the galaxy."
Now that was completely new information. Mara had never heard anything like that in Palpatine's inner circle.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"A race of extragalactic invaders known to my people as the Far Outsiders," Thrawn's gaze, though directed at her, seemed to look through the former Emperor's Hand. "Their technology is based on organic matter, or something similar. They have lost their own galaxy and now intend to conquer ours. This race worships gods that are cruel and beyond our understanding, and they place violence at the center of existence. Violence, ritual sacrifice, slavery, or death for all of us."
"You speak as if you've encountered them before," Mara Jade said.
"My people have had contact with them," Thrawn replied, his gaze regaining focus. "Our meeting with them brought nothing good."
"So that's why you decided to serve Palpatine?" she clarified.
"Yes," Thrawn agreed. "To protect my kindred. The known part of the galaxy interested me little at that time. But having studied the Empire from within, I understand that it will be a useful, and possibly the only, tool that will allow us to deal with this enemy with minimal casualties among the galaxy's population. In the time we have left—ten to fifteen years—I hope to gather the remaining power of the Empire into a single fist. To form the best version of the Empire, uniting those peoples who wish it. And to protect them. As well as my homeland."
"Thrawn the altruist," Mara sneered. "Hard to believe."
"You are free to believe whatever you wish, Mara Jade," Thrawn said. "As promised, I have been candid with you."
"But you haven't said a word about the reasons for your unwillingness to submit to Palpatine again," she noted. There was almost no point in asking the Grand Admiral questions unrelated to Imperial affairs or her personally. "Assuming, of course, that he is truly alive. And I still doubt that—you haven't given a single argument, not one piece of evidence."
"I promised you candor, Mara Jade," Thrawn reminded her. "Not a guarantee that I would provide proof for my words."
"Right, that would interfere with your plans," the redhead smirked mockingly. She had no doubt left—Thrawn was playing a double, possibly even a triple game. With her, with his subordinates. With everyone. As always. Perhaps everything new she had learned from him was true. But it was presented without a shred of fact. Only on the basis of Thrawn's authority, referencing his phenomenal talent for finding the right answers to questions. Thrawn could decipher an enemy's plans and set a trap for them simply by studying works of art, or from fragments of information, always accurately assessing the enemy's reactions and motives.
"Including that," Thrawn replied calmly. "I have been honest with you, Mara Jade. I won't hide it—I need you. As an ally who shares my goals. Someone I can trust. And Palpatine… I don't know what has become of him after the resurrection. But I am certain he did not use Kaminoan technology. Most likely, his clone or clones were created using Spaarti technology with an admixture of Sith metaphysics. And I already have the opportunity to observe the result—Joruus C'baoth. With all due respect to Palpatine, I do not intend to serve a madman in whose hands will be a weapon capable of destroying the galaxy overnight or turning it into a place for settling blood feuds. History shows that Jedi and Sith with enviable regularity destroy each other the moment they come to power. And the galaxy plunges into the chaos of wars, irreparably changing in the process. To side with a mad Palpatine is to take part in genocides and total purges. With C'baoth's help, I have already confirmed the fact that the Emperor, hiding his sensitivity to the Force from most of his inner circle, influenced his army and fleet to make them more effective. Or else, he was testing whether he could directly control his armed forces, the populations of planets, systems, sectors, the entire galaxy… Perhaps in the past I would have supported him, though we disagreed many times on the expediency of certain military tactics. I will not serve a madman. And I will not allow him to rule the galaxy. I am certain he understands this—that is why I am here, and not on Byss. I also will not play the role of a buffer shield, waiting for a handout for good work. I agreed to serve a wise and respected politician, with a sharp mind and enviable foresight. But what I see now, and what I suspect will happen in a year or two, when he has gathered enough strength to settle scores with his enemies, is completely at odds with my goals."
"What kind?" the girl grimaced. "Wait and prepare for the arrival of sentients that are strange and repulsive even by description? Or maybe believe that the most effective of the grand admirals suddenly decided that he, of all people, would build a 'proper Empire'? Thrawn, I had a better opinion of you. Maybe you are a brilliant military commander, maybe you can defeat the New Republic, maybe you can… Do anything, really. But you're not a politician, and you certainly don't know how to recruit sentients. Five years ago I would have followed you after all those stories about Palpatine's resurrection, about how he deceived me, about the invasion and your noble impulses, but now… I don't know what game you're playing. But I'm sure you're trying to disorganize me for a reason, mixing up facts and preventing me from building a logical chain that flows smoothly from one point to another. I know this technique — textbook, I must say. I've used it myself many times in my work. But I expected more from you…"
"Of what?" A smirk appeared on Thrawn's lips.
A good question.
One that instantly knocked all the irritation, indignation, and grievances out of her.
Why was she here? What did she want when she agreed to work for Thrawn?
His genius solution to problems? He'd told her to her face that he had his own goals. And that he was not on the same path as the Empire. They just didn't know it.
To resurrect the past? To be needed again? To find a family, the Empire that once was? Again — Thrawn had made it perfectly clear he wouldn't do anything about that. He had an agreement with the Empire. He didn't touch them, they helped him within their means. And as for his words about there being a new Empire somewhere, sometime… She still had to live that long. And it wasn't certain that the resulting state would be the one she'd want to serve.
Had she been inspired by what the grand admiral said about Palpatine's resurrection? Yes… For a moment. She fully admitted that Thrawn might be manipulating certain facts to serve his purposes. Quite vague ones, she had to say. But she didn't doubt that he'd told the truth. Palpatine was alive. And if so, then… Why hadn't he called her? Because she was unworthy, because she hadn't completed the mission? Or because she was no longer needed? Thrawn said that on Byss and in the Deep Core, there were forces far more powerful than anything at his disposal. Thrawn was certain they were being used as pawns, as lambs to the slaughter. Maybe it wasn't like that, but… He had no facts to prove it, and she had none to refute it. He was pitting his logic against her emotions and her attachment to the old ways. But the past couldn't be brought back…
She lived in the present. Thrawn lived in the present, but as always — he looked to the future. And no matter how much he boasted, she knew the Emperor better than all his other… servants.
Thrawn was right. Palpatine, if he was truly alive, would take revenge. He had never forgiven anyone for offenses done to him. For some reason, she remembered the cruelty with which they'd hunted down the bank employees whose error had placed the Emperor's name on a list of debtors, making it known to a wide circle on the Imperial Center. The poor wretches had to go into hiding, descending to the Lower Levels where mutants, degraded sentients, and bloodthirsty creatures dwelled. And no one had heard from them since. Mara didn't even want to think about what had happened to them.
And once again, she was torn by contradictions. For the first time, the powers-that-be were offering to make her their equal. Not an assistant, not a servant — an ally. Thrawn's reputation spoke for itself — he didn't betray allies. Those he at least trusted. But… Did he trust her? Good question. Right now — definitely not. If she agreed to go with him, she would face checks, tests, and by completing them she could earn his full trust. And… she could do it. No problem. Within six months in Karrde's organization, she'd won his full trust. Thrawn… was on a completely different level, but he himself had said — Palpatine was planning to make his move in a year or a year and a half. Strange to hear such an interpretation of time from him; usually he was as precise as a chronometer. Most likely, he himself didn't know how much time he had left.
He knew that Palpatine was using him. Palpatine surely knew that Thrawn had figured it all out. Why didn't he strike now? Probably because he still wasn't strong enough. Thrawn understood that too. The Chiss was likely intent on getting maximum results from his activities as quickly as possible, and then slipping into the shadows. He wasn't an idiot — he wouldn't stay in plain sight of Palpatine, who, purely for the safety of his own beloved self, would grind into dust anyone who might become an obstacle in his path.
Was she among that number? Hard to say… But probably yes… She hadn't carried out the Emperor's will. She hadn't killed Luke Skywalker. And even if she threw herself at the task now, to appear in a better light by the time Palpatine returned… Would that help her? After all, she was just his servant — if Thrawn's words were to be believed, just one of many. And the more she untangled the web of information he'd dumped on her in such a disjointed, jumbled way… the more she believed Thrawn's words.
Palpatine was a powerful enough sentient to leave a message-command in her brain that had been driving her mad after his death. A rather extraordinary punishment for a mistake, causing suffering for disobedience. Right now it was just auditory and visual hallucinations. In the past, she'd nearly lost her mind from the headaches and pressure on her brain that accompanied each new manifestation of the Emperor's will, all carrying the same command.
"You will kill Luke Skywalker…"
Words she hated. And because of the pain they brought, she hated Luke Skywalker too. If Thrawn was right and Vader's son hadn't killed Palpatine, then… She'd simply been used. Fooled and kicked in the back, forced to keep serving. To do what she did best.
To be expendable resources. Like all of them: the Empire, Thrawn, his people…
The girl looked at her palm with a bewildered gaze. In it, she clutched the chip with the names of the Emperor's Hands. Why had she taken it? To make sure Thrawn hadn't deceived her? As if he couldn't have found a way to hide the fact of falsification. With his brains…
Maybe she wanted to find them all and kill them? Because… Why? What had they done to her? Nothing.
Or had she panicked? Lost her composure from the realization of her own lack of uniqueness. From the hurt of how Thrawn had simply taken and pulled her out of the dream world she'd been living in, indulging herself with memories of the past…
She had lost everything. First, the Empire and the Emperor she had served faithfully. But she'd managed to find a replacement in Karrde and his organization.
Now she didn't even have that. And the path to the semi-legal world was closed to her — thanks to Karrde, who had succumbed to Thrawn's provocations.
She had come to Thrawn hoping to return to the Empire she had left. And here, too, disappointment awaited her.
Thrawn had told her the Emperor was alive. Whether it was true or not, he wouldn't joke about such things. If he really had a dark Jedi on whom Palpatine had been testing cloning technology, then there was every chance Palpatine had used the same technology to get himself a new body after death. If she remembered correctly, Spaarti technology was used at the end of the Clone Wars to replenish the losses of the Grand Army of the Republic. And that was when they discovered that clones suffered from mental and other disorders. "Cloning madness." Which manifested spontaneously, at various stages of the clones' existence…
Hutt! After all these conversations with Thrawn, she would even believe that the Grand Army of the Republic was created from clones because Palpatine wanted to mass-test cloning technology so he could live forever with its help…
And then she felt fear. Very, very deep fear.
When Palpatine reorganized the Old Republic into the Galactic Empire, he told the senators that it was destined to stand for thousands of years. In history lessons, she hadn't given that phrase much thought. But now… Knowing Palpatine, he had no intention of yielding the throne to anyone. Even the fact that Vader was his heir to that position was nothing more than a formality to pacify the masses after a series of rebellions and assassination attempts on Palpatine's life.
And if Palpatine planned to rule for thousands of years… Then even back then, he had no intention of dying. But he taught her the opposite, the exact contrary. Thrawn hadn't used this as an example because he didn't know — the conversation had been private. Many years ago…
Palpatine had been using her even then, clouding her mind. Just as he had clouded the minds of the entire population of the Imperial Center, and hidden the "Lusankya" right in the city. A nineteen-kilometer Super Star Destroyer. On repulsor platforms… He was testing whether he could control the minds of planets, systems, sectors, the galaxy…
Control minds…
Mara raised her head, fixing a defiant gaze on Thrawn.
"Put your rhetoric aside, Grand Admiral. You have no proof, and for me, after all these years, mere words — even from someone as intelligent as you — are not enough. If you truly want me to be your ally, you have a way to prove your sincerity to me."
The grand admiral gave her a heavy, appraising look. Even without using the Force, he seemed to roll over her like a steamroller… But she endured it with honor — in Palpatine's service, she'd felt looks like that before.
"You've set a condition for me, Mara Jade," Thrawn said calmly, touching a button on the armrest with his thumb. "I warned you not to do this…"
The girl felt a slight tremor. It seemed she had crossed the line. And now, watching a Noghri emerge from behind Thrawn — an assassin, a bodyguard, a saboteur — these little people could fill any destructive role, she clearly understood that her path would end here and now.
There was no point in even trying to run — the Noghri would catch and kill her. And if not him, then the legion of stormtroopers stationed on the planet. Or they'd blow her up in the air. Or send bounty hunters after her trail…
The girl raised her head proudly, not wanting to seem cowardly in her last moments and…
She felt the Force return to her.
"You will kill Luke Skywalker!"
The voice rang out so loudly, so suddenly, that she collapsed to her knees. How?! Why?! The visions had never hit her so sharply, so painfully at the very beginning and… It seemed that shades of madness had appeared in it. As if what sounded in her mind was no longer a recorded composition, but she was personally present at a symphony orchestra performance…
"The ysalamiri no longer affect us, Mara Jade," Thrawn's voice — ingratiating and attentive, sensitive and caring — sounded loud, cutting through the echo of Palpatine's final command. "You can look into my mind and verify that everything I have said is the truth. Rukh will keep the ysalamiri away from you, but if you attempt to harm me, he will kill you on the spot."
Tears streamed from her eyes. Her head was splitting, and phantom pains washed over her body in waves. As if all the time she'd spent under the ysalamiri, the mental impulses had been accumulating outside the bubble blocking the Force, and now they all crashed down on her at once…
The girl looked up at Thrawn from below. He sat relaxed and ready to let her into the holy of holies — his mind. Did he know that even in the best years of her life, she couldn't enter another sentient's consciousness without consequences, without destroying it? No, he couldn't know. No one but her knew.
But he had taken this step. Frankness not in words — in deeds. An act she couldn't have even expected from him.
And at that very moment, all her doubts vanished.
"I… agree," she said, not hearing her own voice, disoriented by the ringing that had spread in her ears. "I… will be your ally, Thrawn!"
Suddenly, it became cool and easy. Jade, still hearing the ringing in her ears, looked at the grand admiral. He sat in his chair as before, looking at her indifferently. And next to her, she saw the Noghri, holding an ysalamir in one hand and a disintegrator aimed at her in the other. And even in such a shattered state, she understood that the assassin wielded this weapon perfectly. He wouldn't miss from such close range, even if she had the Force.
"I offered you to be an ally, Mara Jade," he said. "But you decided to break the rules I established. Allies don't do that."
"I'm a pretty lousy ally," the former Emperor's Hand tried to cheer herself up. "Voices in my head say one thing, voices in life — another…"
"The Emperor's final command," Thrawn said, as if thoughtful. "Yes, an unpleasant thing. I can rid you of it."
Should she be surprised by this? Or should she once again admire the fact that Thrawn had everything, as always, under control?
"You're not connected to the Force, Thrawn," Mara reminded him, barely managing to get to her feet. To keep from falling from dizziness, she stared at the gray floor of the reception hall in the moff's residence. "You can't help me."
"I can't," the grand admiral's voice rumbled almost right by her ear. "But he can."
When she raised her gaze to the Supreme Commander of the Empire, she found him standing before her, on the bottom step. Seemingly at her level, but still… higher. Symbolic. As was the fact that the grand admiral held in his hands a medium-sized silver cylinder, with a well-crafted hilt and…
"A lightsaber?" Mara said in surprise, recognizing the object.
"I am no longer offering you to be my ally," Thrawn said. "You broke my conditions. But I am still offering you to work for me. To do what you do better than anyone else. Be my Hand, Mara Jade. Carry my word and the will of my Empire, which we will build together. Serve me, and all your fears will remain in the past. I will not abandon you in your hour of need, will never betray you, and will not let anyone harm you. In exchange, I ask only for your loyalty. From now until death."
"H-how will you rid me of Palpatine's command?" was all Mara Jade could manage, completely disoriented by the grand admiral's forceful rhetoric. Only an answer to her question stood between her and agreeing to Thrawn's proposal. The only one who had risked trusting her.
"This is Luke Skywalker's lightsaber," Thrawn explained. "I took it from the Emperor's treasure vault inside Mount Tantiss."
"And… how will that help me get rid of the obsession?" vague suspicions began to take root in her mind.
"You will carry out Palpatine's final command," Thrawn said firmly and confidently. Obviously something flashed across her face that made the grand admiral deign to explain:
"There, where I obtained this lightsaber, the right hand of Luke Skywalker is also awaiting its time."
Mara Jade's eyes widened. Her right hand reached for the lightsaber, while at the same time, her brain was building a logical chain.
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. Luke Skywalker's hand. Inside Mount Tantiss. The same place as the Spaarti cloning cylinders.
Touching the cool metal with her hand, she turned the weapon to the side. Her thumb rested comfortably on the activation button.
With a hiss, a white-blue blade of pure energy shot out from the emitter. Harmonizing strongly with the skin color of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
"Your answer, Mara Jade?" came the voice of the being who had destroyed her life only to offer her a new one. The being she could kill right now — she didn't even need the Force's support. Yes, she would die — without the Force she couldn't deflect all the Noghri's shots. She'd be disintegrated from a reckless desire to kill…
But… why? She had been offered a solution to the problem. And she had been given what she had felt incomplete without for all these five and a half years…
She would kill Luke Skywalker. After all, he didn't have to be the real Luke Skywalker. She would save herself from the mental torture that the mad old man, with his sick head and maniacal desire for absolute power, had left as punishment.
With a characteristic hiss, the blue energy blade retracted into the hilt. The lightsaber took its rightful place on her belt.
"I await orders, Grand Admiral Thrawn," she said, looking into the eyes of the Supreme Commander of the Empire. And in them, she saw the old order burning in the flames of change. And the establishment of a new one. Harsh, but just. The birth of a New Empire.
On that day, the known history of a galaxy far, far away changed irrevocably. The Emperor's Hand ceased to exist.
In its place, Thrawn's Hand was born.